Chapter 10
Riana was sprawled to the floor within seconds after impact. She shook her head.
"I'm so sorry," Riana apologized to the man. The man looked up and she gasped. It was Nick. Her eyes turned cold and she looked away from him.
"Riana. Hi," Nick said softly.
"Yeah, hi. See ya later," Riana spoke quickly. She got off the floor and ran in the opposite direction.
"Riana, wait!" Nick called, running after her. He dodged some people, careful not to send them flying like he did to Riana. He caught up with her at the elevator.
"Come on, hurry!" Riana pleaded as she waited for the doors to open. She felt a hand at her elbow.
"Riana, listen to me," Nick pleaded.
"Nick, I don't want to listen." Riana snapped. The elevator doors opened and she walked into them. Nick watched her walk in and held the door back with his hand.
"Nick, let go of the door."
"Not until we talk, Riana."
"What could you possibly want to talk about, Nick?" she spat out angrily. Nick looked around and walked into the elevator.
"I want to apologize for what happened yesterday."
"You're sorry, Nick? I was the one that got used here! I actually thought you liked me!" Riana exclaimed. She placed her hand on her hip and glared at him through her sea green eyes. Nick almost got lost in her beauty but quickly jolted out of his trance.
"I know that. And, Riana, I do like you. I like you very much. It's just that I'm so afraid that I'm going to get hurt," Nick said softly.
"But it's ok for someone else to get hurt then? Nick, you are the most selfish, arrogant man I have ever met!!" She reached over and pressed the button to the nearest floor and ran out once the doors opened. She dropped her hot chocolate in the trash and ran to the stairs. Running up twelve flights of stairs sounded a lot better than being stuck in an elevator with Nick Carter.
"Riana!!" she heard him call. She took a deep breath before turning around to look at him.
"Leave me alone!!" She shouted to him. She sprinted up the stairs with Nick close behind her. "What the hell don't you understand?" she screamed at him. He stopped behind her and panted. He was out of breath from running after her.
"Riana, please! I just want to talk to you!"
"Nick, I really don't care, ok? Maybe in a few centuries I will talk to you!" She fumed. She looked at him one last time and felt saddened when she saw his face fall. But she didn't care. Right?
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Riana dragged her feet across the floor to her room. She reached into her pocket and went to pull out her key. She felt nothing. "No!" she cried outloud. "I must have lost it on the stairs!" She was so tired. Speeding up twelve flights of stairs wasn't exactly relaxing. She got up, feeling very discouraged, and she trudged to the stairwell. Two hours later, an infatuated Riana practically crawled to her room. She leaned against her door, sighing. She kept her eyes partially opened. They flew open when she saw a pair of Nike's standing in front of her. She lifted her head and saw the person that she didn't want to see.
"Hi." he said softly. Riana was too tired to fight.
"Hi," she replied.
"I'm sorry. I wish I can take that back, Riana. I don't even know where we stand, but I would rather have you as a friend then a girlfriend." he said, emphasizing the word friend. Riana studied him closely. His blonde hair fell slightly in his eyes, making him look like a tiny, frightened little boy. Her heart went out for him.
"I just don't understand you, Nick. One minute we're like this," she told him, crossing her middle and index finger, "then, we're like this!" she exclaimed. She spread her arms apart.
"It's so long and hard to explain. I don't want to bore you with details." Nick said.
"Thank you," Riana joked. They laughed but grew quiet.
"So......" Nick said. "Friends?" he stuck out his hand for her to shake. She contemplated the offer before smiling.
"Deal."
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"So, why are we outside your room?" Nick asked about an hour later. Riana had completely forgotten about her lost key. She groaned.
"I lost my key," Riana said. Nick shook his head.
"Then let's go back to my room. We can get a copy of your key tomorrow." With that, Nick grabbed Riana's hand and they walked down the hall to his room.
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"You're crying! How do you think that's sad! All that happened was a huge ship that sunk to the bottom! Here. There's a tissue, Nick." Riana said and handed him the tissue. He wiped his eyes.
"Riana, promise me you won't tell a single soul about this?" Nick warned her. Riana nodded and drew an X over her heart. Nick nodded and reached for the remote. They flipped through the many channels but stopped at a music station, only to see Nick and the other guys executing the perfect dance moves to Backstreet's Back.
"Oh, I want to learn that!" Riana said, jumping off the couch.
"Now?" Nick asked. Riana pulled him off the couch.
"Right now!" Riana said.
"Ok, here goes..." Nick mumbled.
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"See! I told you I'd be able to learn it in......." She looked at her watch, "45 minutes!"
"I know. I'm very impressed." Nick smiled. He actually was impressed at her eagerness to learn it. He was laughing hysterically at her first attempts, but he stopped when he realized that he was enjoying every minute of showing her. Just being with her made him happy.
"Maybe you should come on tour with us!" he joked as he handed her a Pepsi.
"What's the point of my modeling career then?" she asked him and smiled.
"Oh yeah, can't forget that!" Nick mocked. She punched him playfully in the arm before reaching for the TV guide. "Oh, look! My Best Friend's Wedding is on!" she said. She laid horizontally on the couch and Nick sat in front of it, his back leaning against it. It got to the middle of the movie when Nick awoke from his sleep. He looked around and wondered why he wasn't in the privacy of his bedroom. He looked to his left and saw Riana, sleeping soundly. Her hands were wrung together at the base of her neck, making it look like a sleeping princess. Nick smiled to himself and picked her up, carrying her towards his room. He made sure that he didn't hit her head on the wall, like he often used to have a habit of doing. She murmured something softly and Nick chuckled. He wrapped his covers around her body and she snuggled her face into his pillow.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Riana." He whispered quietly. He kissed her softly on the cheek. "I'm so sorry that I ruined what we could have had." He got off his knees and shut his door.
"You're forgiven, Nick." Riana whispered quietly into the dark room. _______________________________________
